January 19, 2010

It was rumored earlier this week that Dillon met with Coach Kiffin to discuss his commitment status and walked away from the meeting ready to reaffirm his pledge to SC. That rumor came true today as Dillon announced his decision to stick with SC and enroll early as planned (possibly next Wednesday or Thursday).

This is big news as Dillon is one of our most talented and versatile commitments in this year's class. He's a kid that can play both WR and RB; he's also the perfect Wildcat player with his QB experience. It's also reassuring that Dillon, who was our most steady and vocal commit prior to PC leaving, is back on board with the new coaching staff. Our core of Bax, Robert Woods, and Kyle Prater will do big things in keeping this class together and in finishing strong in recruiting before signing day.

January 15, 2010

Dillon took the news of Pete leaving hard and has been looking around. He's scheduled to take an official visit to Oregon this weekend and Florida the following. Chip Kelly is selling Dillon on being the next running QB in the Oregon spread offense; Urban is selling Dillon on being an all-everything back/receiver.

In the end, I think Dillon stays committed to SC, although I'm not as confident about it as before. Right now SC has the advantage in that the competing schools are far from home and run a very different system from SC. The cohesiveness of the current class should help, especially with kids like Kyle Prater and Robert Woods constantly in his ear. I think a solid visit from the coaches will seal this recruitment.

Robert Woods, WRStatus: Solid VerbalPrediction: USC

Robert didn't seem phased at all by Pete's departure. Robert and his dad are set on SC, and with Damian headed to the draft, Woods has a solid shot to earn PT as a freshman. My knock on him has always been his route-running, but watching him at the Army All-American game/practices, I was very impressed with how much he's tightened up his routes.

Kyle Prater, WRStatus: Solid Verbal (Early Enrollee)Prediction: USC

After a shaky weekend, Kyle solidified his recruitment with the hiring of CLK and will enroll in classes on Monday. It's always made sense for Kyle to come to SC due to our pro system. Kyle needs to be in a pro-set to fully utilize his size and talents as a possession receiver.

November 27, 2009

Kyle Prater, WR (Hillside, IL)Ranking: 5-Star, #2 Overall, #1 WRStatus: Committed- SC will try to seal the deal on Kyle who is expected to be a December graduate and early enrollee. The recruiting battle has come down to SC and ND. This is the perfect opportunity to lock-in Kyle's commitment with all the turmoil in South Bend.

Jackson Jeffcoat, DE (Plano, TX)Ranking: 5-Star, #6 Overall, #1 DEStatus: Texas, USC, Houston- Looks like Texas leads this battle with Houston as the dark-horse pick due to Jackson's dad being on the coaching staff. SC still has a real shot at landing Jackson. The coaches can sell the early playing time here at the strong-side spot with Armond Armstead flipping between SDE and DT (true position).

Dillon Baxter, WR/RB (San Diego, CA)Ranking: 4-Star, #26 Overall, #1 All-Purpose RBStatus: Committed- Dillon has stayed solid through his commitment but recently took an official visit to Michigan where he was guaranteed early playing time. Still looks like Dillon is firmly committed. SC has the wildcat formation ready to go for next year.

D.J. Morgan @ #35: I'm going to go bearish on the current USC commit and say D.J. dropping from #20 in Rivals to #35 in ESPN is a good call. I actually think D.J. should drop a little further. He's a dynamic player but not good enough in any single area to deserve a top 25 ranking.

Kyle Prater @ #43: He's the top receiver on Rivals at #4 which I believe is way too high.

Ronald Powell @ #3: Top 3 is slightly high but the guy is a freak and can play both offense and defense. Definitely a top 10 player.

Bad Calls

Tony Jefferson @ #9: I'm a BIG fan of Tony but there is no way he's a top 10 player overall. Based on his tweener status alone he shouldn't be close to top 15. He fits nice at #30-45 range.

Lache Seastrunk @ #20: Lache is absolutely a top 10 player.

Trovon Reed @ #45: Trovon is a top 3 receiver in this class.

Anthony Barr @ #61: Deserves to be ranked higher despite being too big for his position.

March 12, 2009

Complete ranking is here. The following are some names that have SC high on their list:

2. Lache Seastrunk, RB (TX)

6. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE (TX)

10. Jeff Luc, LB (FL)

11. Malcolm Jones, RB (CA)

13. Ronald Powell, ATH (CA)

14. Trovon Reed, WR (LA)

17. D.J. Morgan, RB (CA)

23. Markeith Ambles, WR (GA)

26. Robert Woods, WR (CA)

28. Dillon Baxter, WR (CA)

42. Tony Jefferson, LB (CA)

49. Sean Parker, DB (CA)

57. Christian Thomas, TE (CA)

62. Jake Matthews, OL (TX)

77. Delvin Jones, DE (FL)

80. DeMarco Cobbs, WR (OK)

92. Pete Thomas, QB (CA)

Bold = Current Commits

Lot of speculation came out of the Army All-American bowl as to whether Lache Seastrunk favored us since he was wearing SC socks (picture above) during practices - in all likelihood, probably shouldn't put too much stock in it.

Malcolm Jones and D.J. Morgan are rated too high and Sean Parker too low IMO. The one player I wish showed more interest in SC is Lamarcus Joyner (#7 player in nation) - kid is absolutely ridiculous.

February 25, 2009

D.J. Morgan (above) and Dillon Baxter, both commits for 2010 class, are really making a concerted effort to try and recruit players to join the class. Baxter, who's been very involved in the program, reminds me a lot of D.J. Shoemate who also committed early and was vocal early on.

Cassius Marsh, DT from Oaks Christian, was ready to commit at Junior Day but refrained from doing so out of respect of his parents' advice to cool off and think things over. Many still expect him to be a Trojan at some point.

One of my favorite recruits of 2010, Sean Parker, took a break from the FBU camp over at the Coliseum to take in Junior Day. Lot of schools are starting to pick up on Sean and he's getting a ton of offers. The early word is he's looking to go to school out of state, but lately he's been open to staying local and is showing interest in SC. He had this nice quote:

"Just being around the players and coaches on Saturday was incredible. They have so much energy and you get fired up being around them. They have a great football program and who wouldn't want to be a part of a team like that."

One of his best friends and former teammates is '09 commit, Byron Moore, so hopefully that'll provide some pull in bringing in Sean.